Task 7 How to Make Changes to a Form in Design View

The Form Wizard is great for producing a quick form (see Task 6, "How to Create a New Form with the Form Wizard"). You will frequently find that, after you have created a form, you want to change the layout or the fields. You can easily customize the form by using Design view. After you open a form in Design view, you can move the form elements around, add new titles, or change the field size. Design view is similar to an electronic paste-up board that enables you to move items around until they're exactly where you want them.

Open the Form

Open the database you want to use if it isn't already open. In the Database window, click Forms. Select the form you want to modify from the list box and click the Design button.

Use Form Design

The form opens in Design view, along with the floating Field List box. (To display or hide the Field List, click the Field List button.) In Design view, you can place various elements into the form and move them around. The form is divided into Form Header (which holds title information), Detail (which holds the form fields), and Form Footer (which holds information placed at the bottom of each record).

Delete a Field

To remove a field and its label, click the field to select it and press Delete. Depending on the background design, it isn't always easy to tell what's a field and what's a label. In most instances, fields appear larger than text labels. When you click a field, its label is also selected. Selection handles appear around a selected item.

Add a Field

To add a field, drag a field from the Field List box onto the Detail area where you want to insert the new field. Release the mouse button, and the field and its text label are added to the form. Repeat this step to add as many fields as you want.

Move a Field

To move a field, click the field to select it; selection handles surround the field. Position the mouse pointer over the field until the pointer takes the shape of a hand icon. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the field to a new position; release the mouse button. To resize a field, drag any of the field's selection handles.

Use the Toolbox

You can use all kinds of editing tools to change your form design. You'll find all the tools on the floating Toolbox. (If the Toolbox isn't displayed, click the Toolbox button on the Form Design toolbar.) Use the Toolbox buttons to add additional text to the form (such as subtitles or directions), to add pictures to the form, and more.